


I'm Happy (As Long As I'm With You)

by jungkookau



Category: Kpop - Fandom, bts, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Butterfly Prologue, Alternate Universe - I Need U, Alternate Universe - Run (Music Video), Alternate Universe - Young Forever, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-24
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 07:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6648202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jungkookau/pseuds/jungkookau
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When six boys drift apart after the loss of their closest friend, they are suddenly brought back together a year later by a supernatural phenomenon. Will they be able to say what they are hiding deep down in their hearts?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Please Let Me Run

**Author's Note:**

> Word Count: 1865
> 
> A/N: This is inspired by the story of the anime Anohana.
> 
> Summary: Run. Run. Run. Where will their feet take them?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Listen to RUN (Ballad Mix) - BTS when reading this chapter for the full effect

It was late at night and Jimin had just came back from a hard day of work. While being a full time university student, he worked late hours at a nearby restaurant. His body was aching from his classes as he as a dance major and from serving at the restaurant. He had a scholarship to the university as he was top of his class in his last year. He was also top of his class in the university, being known as one of the best dancers from the university in years. He felt as if his limbs could fall off at any moment. He had plopped himself on the bed and cherished every moment of it. To feel the soft and cozy bed after a long day of work. That's what he looked forward to every night. His eyes were heavy from the day and within minutes he had begun to fall asleep. With about ten minutes of slumber, Jimin had woken up to the sound of rocks being pelted at his window. He rubbed his eyes and stretched as he got out of bed. Who would be at his house this late at night he thought. Slightly irritated, he opened the window to see who it was. He suddenly felt something hard bounce off his head.

 

“What the hell,” he muttered as he rubbed where the hard object had hit him. He scanned the streets to find the culprit. In the middle of the streets, he saw a figure. He knew exactly who it was.

 

“C’mon!” The figure yelled before running down the street. Jimin quickly put on a polo shirt, jeans, and a pair of red timberlands before heading out into the streets to follow the figure. What did they have in mind?

* * *

Jeongguk was invested in this online video game he was playing. Since he got home from school, he did nothing but play. With his room in shambles, almost identical to a pigs stein, there laid countless bottles of energy drinks and pop bottles along with dirty laundry scattered across his bedroom floor. His mother had always wondered how one person could make such a big mess. He was always scolded by his mother for this but Jeongguk continued to live in this environment. Jeongguk was a unique individual; he was able to do anything he had set his mind to but also did not want to do anything but play his video games. He was top in his vocals classes as well as his dance classes. He was also very known in the gaming world as one of the top ranked players in many of the online games he has participated in. He was very well-rounded in almost any talent. As Jeongguk continued to play, he suddenly heard muffled screaming coming from his bedroom door. He had paused the game to see who was outside.

“Jeongguk!” The voice cried out. He had opened the window to see who it was and it was the same person that arrived at Jimin’s house not that long ago.

 

“Let's go!” The figure bellowed before running off again. Jeongguk had a feeling he was up to something. He quickly changed to the few clean clothes he had left and ran out the door to bump into Jimin.

 

“What is he up to?” Jeongguk asked Jimin. Jimin shrugged his shoulders.

 

“We should hurry up we’ll lose him,” he said before they both ran off into the same direction as the boy who called them out of their homes. Who would be out so late at night?

* * *

Hoseok was walking down the street from his dance practice. Exhausted from practicing all night, he couldn't wait to get home. He was training for a competition he had in a few weeks and was thrilled that he had made it this far. He was passionate in this form of art and everyone knew it. He had a reputation for being one of the best dance students at the university alongside Jimin. Ever since he was a child, all he wanted to do is pursue in his passion no matter what people said. He was told time and time again that this was a risky decision and that he would never make it out in the real world. He didn’t give it a second thought, and did not care for what others had to say. Hoseok was content with where he is now. With his headphones blaring music, he was unconsciously dancing along as he walked down the street. Suddenly, he felt someone slap him on the back. That had caused him to stop in his tracks and take out one of his headphones. 

 

“What the-” he was cut off by the person that had slapped him on the back.

 

“C’mon hyung, let’s go!” He said cheerily before running down the street once again. Hoseok was confused by this when he heard more footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Jeongguk and Jimin running down the street.

 

“What is going on?” Hoseok called out to them. They continued to run in the direction of their friend.

 

“Don't ask just run!” Jeongguk said as they passed Hoseok. Without hesitation, Hoseok ran in their direction. They continued to follow their friend to who knows where.

* * *

Yoongi had just come back from a day of recording and composing. Slightly frustrated as he wasn't able to finish a piece. His room mimicked his studio; there were balls of crumpled paper in all corners of the room. Papers filled with lyrics and compositions that just didn't sound right to him. His room was dimly lit by the laptop that he had opened. He continued to look for the right lyrics that went well with what he had already started. He continued to fill up his room with more crumpled pieces of paper as he became more and more frustrated. The glare of the laptop had reflected off his almost dead like eyes as they were so fatigued from looking at a monitor from dawn until dusk. In a matter of twenty minutes he had given up for the night. Still restless from not being able to finish this composition, he sat on the corner of his bed furrowing his eyebrows.

 

_ Click, click. _

 

He played around with the lighter he had in his pocket. He had always thought that looking at the flames dancing calmed him down. He liked how the warm amber dance with the cool electric blue as he turned the lighter on and off. To see completely opposite colours on the colour wheel unite into one.

 

Suddenly, he heard some tapping on his window. He lived in a one story house so it was easy access to his window without having to throw rocks. Yoongi saw that a branch was being used to tap on the window. He walked towards it to see the young fellow that was using the branch. He had smiled at Yoongi before breathing on the window to write something.

 

_ C’mon! _

 

He wrote on the window before giving another warm smile and running out into the streets once again. He was slightly confused when he heard more screaming from the other three.

 

“Yoongi hyung! Run!” Jimin called out. Yoongi sighed and took out his phone and it rang twice before his call was picked up. He was not up for running this late at night.

 

“Can you pick me up? They’re going somewhere and I think i know exactly where.”

* * *

Namjoon was working late hours at the gas station. He needed the money for his late night binging of cigarettes. Though he would never actually smoke them, he liked the feeling of it being in between his pursed lips. He would often have a lollipop in its place but it never fully satisfied that feeling. The lollipop stick was just too small in size in comparison to those death sticks. He has had the urge to light them at one point but has never actually lit one and smoked it in his time of constantly buying cigarettes. Whenever he was with Yoongi, he would ask him to light it up but never put it anywhere near his mouth. He thought that the feeling of it being lit was also relaxing, just like how Yoongi loved the feeling of turning on his lighter. They were like two peas in a pod.

 

He was finishing up cleaning the perimeter of the gas station when a pop can was suddenly thrown in his direction. He quickly dodged it and saw who it was. It was the same boy that had called the other five. Namjoon saw his mushroom like hair being blown by the small breeze that passed.

 

“C’mon!”

 

In a flash, the boy had left once again. Soon to be followed by Hoseok, Jimin, and Jeongguk. They all waved at Namjoon, telling him to follow. He looked at his boss that looked back at him. He gave a small grin just before leaving and running off in their direction before his boss could say anything about it.

* * *

Footsteps filled the empty streets. These five young boys recklessly ran through the empty streets of Seoul. The streets were dimly lit but the street lights illuminated the youth that these boys had. Full of energy as they freely ran to wherever this boy was telling them to go.

 

“C’mon!”

 

The boy was nearing a long tunnel as the other four ran just a couple blocks behind him. Surprisingly they were not tired at all from all this running. What were they up to anyways?

 

“Why this late at night?” Jeongguk asked the others, saying a word after every breath he took in. They were familiar with this boy’s antics and also knew where he was heading off too. They had entered the tunnel that was illuminated by a series of incandescent light bulbs that gave their faces a warm yellow glow.

 

“C’mon!” It bounced off the walls, making his voice even louder than ever. As they were halfway through the tunnel, they heard the revving of a vehicle. They all stopped to turn around to see who it was. The headlights of the 4x4 blinded them temporarily, making them raise their arms in front of their faces.

 

“Get in!” Yoongi yelled as the vehicle made an abrupt stop. The engine still ran as the five boys made their way into the car. Hoseok and Namjoon got into the two remaining seats in the truck while Jeongguk, Jimin, and Taehyung sat in the back.

 

“Nice timing Seokjin hyung,” Taehyung said, slightly out of breath from all the running.

 

“Thank Yoongi,” Seokjin replied as he began to drive to their destination. The lights of the tunnel moved faster and faster as if they were traveling through space. A breeze came by as Seokjin drove the vehicle out the tunnel and closer to their destination. The wind went through the hairs of the youngest three, relaxing them. Seokjin looked at the sideview mirror and smiled at how content these three were in the back of the truck. There was only one question that was not solved though.

  
Where exactly were they off to?


	2. Two Sides to a Coin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> These boys are going to be on the most perfect and eventful adventure of a lifetime

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 3088  
> Genre: Fluff/Angst  
> A/N: For full effect listen to Butterfly (Prologue Ver.) by BTS

The flood of stars illuminated the otherwise pitch black night sky. Taehyung and Jeongguk looked up at the sky in awe. To see the beauty of these otherwise dying suns was fascinating to them. Jimin noted that Taehyung had his mouth wide open; a habit of his when he sees something that has caught his eye. After that comment, he immediately closed his mouth and chuckled out of embarrassment. He looked up again to try and see if he was able to find any constellations as the truck zoomed through the almost never ending roads. There were many twists and turns that they took and at one point Jeongguk almost fell out of the truck for standing up while Seokjin was making a right turn. Luckily, Jimin and Taehyung had caught him before he flew off the side of the truck. He was scolded by his elders after that incident and remained sitting as they travelled to the place Taehyung was dragging them to. 

 

While the younger of the seven were sitting in the back, the elders were much more relaxed in the comfort of actual car seats. The windows were rolled down as much as they could, allowing for the wind to flow through the front of the car, so they were able to cool down without the need to turn on the air conditioning. Namjoon had one arm resting on the ledge of the window enjoying the scenery that passed as the truck moved. Seokjin’s eyes were fixated on the road, making sure that he didn’t miss any exits or turns to get to the place as soon as possible. Hoseok was slightly tired as he rested his head on Yoongi’s shoulders. Yoongi didn’t mind at all although his shoulder was sore after a while. He had continued to place with his lighter, keeping the lighter away from anything that could potentially catch on fire.

 

“Yoongi stop doing that,” Seokjin scolded. Yoongi immediately put out the lighter and put it in his pocket. He mumbled something to indicate that he heard Seokjin. Yoongi looked out the side window, looking at the fields of green that zoomed by. Then he looked at the window behind him, watching Taehyung, Jeongguk, and Jimin talking about something in the back. Finally, he turned back to the front to see the road which seemed to be endless. Since it was night, it was almost pitch black, and whatever road he saw, he was only able to see because of the headlights.

 

“We need to stop by a gas station,” Namjoon said. Seokjin was about to say something when Namjoon interrupted him, as he knew what he was going to say next.

 

“No, I don’t have enough money for them. We need snacks, Hoseok will pay,” Namjoon said and before Hoseok could say anything, Yoongi stopped him, knowing that no matter how much he tried to wriggle his way out of paying, he would still end up paying. Hoseok sighed, taking his head off Yoongi’s shoulder and onto the head of the seat. Soon enough, they had stopped at a nearby gas station. Seokjin had parked on the side away from the gas pumps as Hoseok and Namjoon came out to get what they needed. Hoseok had looked through the isles and picked up various snacks like pretzels, some cheap alcohol, and pop.

 

“I’m just going to head to the washroom,” Namjoon said to Hoseok and he nodded as he looked for any other snacks that the others might want. Namjoon made his way to the washroom which was as small as a washroom could possibly get. The sink and the toilet was pretty much squished in front of each other, with little room to move around in. Namjoon had turned on the tap, allowing the water to flow out of it. He looked into the mirror and huffed a large sum of air. That created fog on the mirror and he just watched as the fog began to dissipate into the air. He quickly washed his hands before heading back to the truck. Hoseok had also finished paying for the snacks and carried a paper bag filled to the top. He had placed it in the back of the truck next to Jimin who was falling asleep. Jimin’s eyes were heavy from being out so late at night. Hoseok had taken out a blanket from the front of the truck and placed it on Jimin’s lap. Jimin had began to hold one side of the blanket so that he wouldn’t lose it. Hoseok smiled as he did and he went back to his seat. Once again they were off to their destination and proceeded to do what they were doing before their little stop.

 

“We’re almost there,” Seokjin announced loud enough for the three in the back to hear. He took a sudden turn into the field where tire tracks have been paved in the field indicating that they have been there many times before. The tall grass rustled against the side of the truck as they neared their destination. Seokjin began to slow down as they came to a small shack made out of various pieces of metal. There were old couches and loveseats placed around bricks that resembled a circle. Seokjin had parked the truck and everyone got out. They all headed towards the logs except for Jeongguk and Namjoon who had gone to look for some dead branches nearby for a fire. Once they gathered enough driftwood, they placed it in the circle of bricks. Jimin went into the shack to get a few drinks as they knew it was going to be a while before they return. Yoongi had taken out a random piece of paper from his jacket pocket and lit it with his match, then placing it in the middle of the pieces of driftwood. Soon, it kindled into a small fire, illuminating the area a little bit more. Namjoon had taken out a lollipop from his pocket and began to suck on it.

 

“No cigarettes?” Yoongi asked and Namjoon shook his head. He was fresh out of cigarettes and he knew he wasn’t going to have some for a while, since he left his position at the gas station without warning. His boss would most likely postpone his paycheck for another week or so from this. They had all settled into their spots where they would usually sit. They had found these random pieces of furniture from abandoned houses that were nearby the area. They thought it would be much more comfortable than sitting on some logs. They also had a small stack of large tires as another place to sit in case there wasn’t enough room; which in their case, was all the time. Jimin had handed Taehyung the bottle of alcohol that was already half empty from their last visit. He took a small drink of it, making a face from the bitterness of the alcohol. Hoseok had returned from setting up Seokjin’s camcorder to the projector that they had allowing for all the footage that Seokjin had previously filmed to be playing on the side of the shack.

 

“So why are we here at almost two in the morning?” Hoseok piped in. Taehyung handed the bottle back to Jimin who had also taken a sip of the alcohol and Taehyung shrugged.

 

“Just for the hell of it,” he said simply. They haven’t done this in a while and Taehyung knew it was about time they had to do this again. It was nice just escaping from the business of the world and to just relax by a fire. Seokjin had his small polaroid camera in his hands.

 

“I miss this you know,” Seokjin said. They all nodded in agreement. They had always hung out here as children. They would often get in trouble for always sneaking off to this place. And since it would be far to walk, it was more adventurous to them. As mischievous as they are, they would often stay there for days before being picked up by their parents and being scolded for days on end.

 

“We can do this everyday if we wanted to,” Taehyung said. The idea sounded great to all of them, but the reality was that no matter how much they could do this, it just didn’t seem realistic. They continued to talk and just relax all through the night until one by one, they had fallen asleep. The youth of tomorrow, what will wait in their distant future?

* * *

“Wake up,” a voice called. Taehyung had suddenly woken up by the feeling of Namjoon shaking his side. Namjoon gave him a large grin before pulling him off the couch. Everyone else was waiting in the truck for Taehyung. Normally Jeongguk would be the last one to be awake as he slept like a log. However, today he was one of the first to wake; what a sudden turn of events, right? Taehyung had quickly fixed his disheveled head before jumping in the back of the truck with Jimin and Jeongguk. Once everyone was in the truck, Seokjin had started the car and they headed to their next destination. The sun had just begun to rise just above the horizon. The sky filled with amber and vermillion mixed with streaks of lavender and azure. The mixing of colours created this serene aura, making the ride more peaceful. Taehyung, Jimin, and Jeongguk cuddled up next to each other underneath the blanket that was left in the back as the wind was more strong, making the ride chillier.

 

They passed through the road in the middle of the woods and everything felt like it was in slow motion. They all watched as the woods began to wake up, seeing the shuffling of the tree branches indicating squirrels running about and a deer with her fawn grazing the grass for their morning meal. Everything at this point was just absolutely perfect and there was nothing else that could make the day any worse. They soon reached the end of the woods and onto a beach. The sand began to fly underneath the wheels of the truck as Seokjin drove on the beach. The younger ones cheered as Seokjin drove. They haven’t been to the beach in such a long time and it was great that they were there with each other once again. They couldn’t wait to touch the sand once again and just run around in the sand, so carefree. Seokjin made an abrupt stop in the middle of the sand, parking the truck, and turning off the engine.

 

“Let’s go!” Jeongguk yelled as he quickly took off his green bomber jacket and they immediately jumped out of the back of the truck as the others quickly opened the door to get out. Seokjin had picked up his camcorder and began to film them. He watched as they all ran all around the sand. There would be sand fights here and there, mainly from Taehyung and Jeongguk. They played around with each other for hours, whether it be a game of tag or just fooling around in the sand.

 

They were just boys being boys.

 

Seokjin enjoyed watching them play. It was something that he hasn’t seen in such a long time. With them always being busy with other personal stuff, they rarely had time to doing something like this. He was grateful that Taehyung did all of this just so that they could be together once again. Taehyung was like the glue that binded them together. Without him, they would’ve probably been distant friends by now. Taehyung knew just when to bring all of them together and he was brilliant at it. He was always content and never wanted to miss a moment. He was one of a kind in Seokjin’s mind for sure.

 

“Hyung watch out!” Hoseok yelled to Seokjin as Jeongguk was about to splash him with water. He immediately went out of Jeongguk’s line of reach, as the water barely missed him. Luckily he wasn’t soaking wet, but part of his sleeve was wet from the water. Jeongguk laughed loudly as he retreated from his failed attempt to soak Seokjin with water. Seokjin gave him a playful glare as he continued to film. Jimin had gone back to the truck to get something and once he returned, he was holding Seokjin’s polaroid camera in his hands. He waved it around indicating he was about to take a picture. They all ran towards him as he turned around so that he could take a picture of all seven of them. They crammed their faces to try and fit into the small camera lens.

 

“Say cheese!” Jimin said and they all gave the biggest smiles they could. As Jimin pressed the camera button, a flash appeared indicating that the camera had taken the picture. They waited for the polaroid to come out from the bottom of the camera. Once it did, Jimin had waved it around, trying to make it appear faster. Once the picture had appeared it showed all seven of them smiling. They seemed so happy in the picture and it was evident that they were having the time of their lives. To keep such a wondrous moment frozen in time in a photograph. That is exactly why Seokjin would always bring the polaroid and the camcorder. He wanted to keep those memories so that he could relive them over and over again. He didn’t want to miss any opportunities for beautiful things to be instilled in a picture. Jimin had handed the polaroid picture to Seokjin and he smiled, as he stared at it once again. He returned the polaroid and the camera back into the glove compartment of the truck and they continued their journey on the beach.

 

Soon enough they had spent their entire day at the beach doing who knows what. Of course taking breaks for lunch and whatnot. They felt so carefree during the entire day and they felt more relaxed than they ever could. It was just the perfect day in their opinion.

 

“Okay guys, one more stop and we have to get on back. This one is going to be a special one,” Seokjin said as he neared the truck. They all complied as they all returned to the truck and Seokjin started the engine.

 

“Where to?” Yoongi asked as he closed the door and put on his seatbelt.

 

“You know the place we always used to go to to watch the sunset?” Seokjin said as he began to drive and Yoongi nodded. He then got where Seokjin was going and he couldn’t help but feel giddy about it. That was also another place that they haven’t been to in years. They drove across the beach to a secluded area where it seemed like a run down construction site of some sort by the bay. They had just made it as the sun was about to set; probably in about half an hour. They had all scattered around the area, waiting for the sun to begin to set. Jeongguk had sat down near some I-beams near the edge of the site. He looked across to see the bay at a standstill. No ripples of any kind that could disturb the otherwise peacefulness of the water. He looked down to see the reflection of his shoes and his head peaking just above his knees. He stared into the sea that was peaceful but can otherwise slowly kill a person. There’s always two sides to a coin. Behind him, Yoongi had patted him on the back as he sat next to him. Yoongi scanned the bay, taking in the beauty of it.

 

“It’s beautiful huh?” Yoongi stated simply. Jeongguk nodded and looked back at his reflection in the water. Everything about this moment was very relaxing and they didn’t want to think of anything else but this moment.

 

Over on another part of the site, Namjoon, Jimin, Hoseok, and Seokjin were staring back at the beach. They could see all the tire marks that they have made. Seeing all the turns that Seokjin took and how abstract yet interesting the tire track marks seemed to be. This day just couldn’t get any better. It was nearing the time of which the sun would set. Taehyung was over on the far corner where a steel scaffold stood high and mighty. He had looked up at it, put on the hood of his hoodie, took and deep breath, and began to climb it. His heart began to pump harder the higher he climbed up the scaffold. He climbed higher and higher until he had reached the top. He managed to shift all his lower body weight to get up to the top as he was struggling a bit after climbing up so high.

 

He stood at the the edge of the top of the scaffold and looked at the scenery that was placed in front of him. He saw the sun just about to meet the horizon where the sky and the sea parted. He saw the beautiful array of colours in the sky. The colours flowed well in a gradient that seemed to flow ever so nicely. He saw the stillness of the sea. How although was dark because of how deep it was, there still remained a little light near the top. To see the sun making the water glisten and to see the sun bounce off the water, making it sparkle like diamonds. He turned to the beach to see the art that Seokjin had unknowingly made. To see the patterns of the tire tracks flow with each other. How abstract it looked to the eye even though one might just say they are just tire tracks. There was this underlying beauty that can be seen if one looked really closely. He looked below to see Yoongi and Jeongguk looking across the bay where they both were sitting. To see his two friends just having a nice talk about whatever they were talking about at that moment. He turned around to see the other four just enjoying their company.

 

He smiled at all of this. He was happy.

 

“Hyung where’s your camera?” Jimin asked and said that it was back in the car. Jimin had gone to get his polaroid once again and Seokjin smiled. What could possibly make this day worse? Once jimin had returned, Seokjin had turned around to only hear a large splash.

 

"Taehyung?"


	3. Drifting Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything was blue; his heart, his hands, his jeans. And now we're covered in the colors pulled apart at the seams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: Angst/tiny bit of fluff  
> Word Count: 2804  
> A/N: If you haven't watched Anohana things may be a little confusing at first but you will soon understand later in the chapter.  
> Trigger Warning: Death Mention, Drowning

“Taehyung?!” Seokjin shouted but nobody answered back. They all scattered to where the scaffold stood tall.

 

“Taehyung where are you?!” Seokjin was beyond freaking out and so were the others. All they heard was a splash and nothing else. Seokjin began to take off his shirt and dove into the water. He swam deep until he saw a figure.

 

It was Taehyung.

 

However, no matter how much he swam, he was just not in arms reach to grab him. Sunlight had casted towards Taehyung’s face and his eyes were open, and he had a smile across his face. Like he was trying to tell Seokjin something, as if he planned all of this to happen. Coming to their houses at ungodly late hours to drag them out here.

 

He predicted that Seokjin would drive to this exact spot.

 

To climb up the scaffold.

 

To jump.

 

It’s like he planned all of this. But why? Seokjin just couldn’t understand. Taehyung plunged deeper into the water until he was nowhere to be seen. Seokjin floated back up to the surface, sputtering out water as he gasped for air. The others were waiting anxiously but to their avail, only one came back up when two went down. Seokjin looked down into the water and was in a state of mixed emotions.

 

Confusion.

 

Anger.

 

Sadness.

 

Heartbreak.

 

He was a melting pot of emotion and he couldn’t contain it at all. He began to thrash around in the water, allowing all the anger to come out. Tears were forming from his eyes but were hidden from the beads of water that fell on his face from being underwater. He held his breath once again and dove under to try and get Taehyung back.

 

“Hyung!” He heard a muffled voice call. He chose to ignore it as he dove deeper than he did previously. He could feel himself becoming light-headed but that didn’t stop him from trying to go deeper. His ears soon began to pop from the pressure building up but he continued to dive deeper. He felt someone’s hands grab his arm but it wasn’t Taehyung’s. He let out a muffled scream as he saw he was being pulled towards the surface. He wanted to get Taehyung back so badly but whoever had him in their grasp did not want to let go at all. He saw the water get lighter as they neared the surface and he watched as the trail of bubbles that exasperated out of his mouth dissipated. They had finally reached the surface and Seokjin gasped for air once again. The person with him had also gasped for air as his head was bobbing up and down on the surface of the water.

 

It was Jeongguk.

 

“Hyung please stop!” Jeongguk pleaded, still trying to get some air back into his lungs. Jeongguk couldn’t bare to see all of this, everything happened so fast.

 

It happened too fast.

 

“I have to find him!” Seokjin said, manically. His skin was paler compared to how he was not that long ago and his eyes weren’t bright anymore, but clouded almost. It was like all the life was sucked out of him as soon as Taehyung made that brave plunge into the depths of the water. Not only did Taehyung give his life up, he gave up Seokjin’s as well.

 

“You have to let him go! It's too late!” Jeongguk said, his voice breaking as he said those words. Those were words he never thought he would ever say, to imagine that one of his closest friends just disappeared without a trace. He was beyond scared but he had to convince Seokjin to return to the dock. Seokjin looked at the murky water once again and back to Jeongguk. Seokjin knew he was hurting, they were all hurting. He looked at the others, all in a state of shock and disparity. Seokjin knew he had to comfort them and the way he was acting was not helping at all. If anything, it scares them even more, especially Jeongguk. He took a deep breath and made his way to the edge of the dock. He pushed himself up, out of the water and helping Jeongguk get out as well. He stared back at where he last saw Taehyung. There was just one thing that was engraved in his mind that he could not get out no matter how hard he tries.

 

It was his smile.

* * *

 A year past since the tragedy of losing Taehyung. Without Taehyung, their friendship quickly dispersed. They began to fall apart as friends. They didn't keep up with each other as much, the just drifted apart. Without their glue, it was hard for all of them to remain in one piece. One by one, they all went their separate ways.

 

Jeongguk had graduated and gone to university, studying architecture. He had grown drastically physically. His entire physique was much more defined, and he grew much taller. He may look grown, but he still had the heart of a child. There was never a dull moment for Jeongguk, especially in university. He did keep in touch with Jimin and Hoseok at times since they all had attended the same university. They were still close, but not as close as they could be. Though Jeongguk was always smiling, he was still hurting everyday because of what had happened with Taehyung. One of the main reasons was that he never got to tell him something he had been keeping in for a long time. He loved him, Jeongguk was in love with Taehyung. More than anyone can imagine. The day of the tragedy, he saw the one he love just disappear in an instant and there was nothing he could do. Everyday is a struggle for him to forget about Taehyung but he just could not let him leave his mind like Taehyung had left him.

 

Jimin was in his third year of university and he had become of of the top students in his major. He was becoming a well known dancer in Seoul, which was his dream. He was achieving everything he had ever wished for. He and Hoseok were extremely close still, sharing late nights at the dance studio practicing from dusk until dawn. Hoseok was in his final year and he could not wait to graduate. He was so successful in what he had majored in, many companies contacted him saying that they wanted him to train with him. He didn't even think about it at all. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to train with any of them. But the opportunity he was given was pretty much secured if he wanted to or not.

 

Namjoon lived a more secluded life after the incident, living in the shack they played in when they were kids. He revamped the place, making room for him to sleep and whatnot. He spent most of his time there, but remained working at the gas station just to earn enough money to get by. The others would often come by to try and convince him to get an actual job, but he would rather live in the shack. He felt that being away from the urban community was better for him, allowing him to think more about some other things that occupied his mind. Taehyung was one of those things that occupied his mind. He was trying to figure out why he had done what he had done that day and he knew he was getting close to it with what Seokjin had been telling him for the past few months.

 

Yoongi was living a successful life as a composer and producer at one of the largest music companies in Seoul. From all the emotions he’s kept from the incident, it flowed right into his music, allowing him to create beautiful masterpieces. His composed tracks are always wanted by many other companies and groups and they would be lucky if he composed a track for them. However, although he was extremely successful, this had made him more distant from the group. He would often try to keep in touch, but with his busy schedule it was almost impossible for him to be with all of them at once. He would work late at night composing in his studio, revision everything over and over until everything sounded just right. The others would often visit him in the studio but they rarely got to talk as he was so busy.

 

For Seokjin, he had recently saved enough money to start his restaurant business. He had worked long hours at the video game store to just get the down payment for the property and bulk ingredients for his recipes. Today was his last day at his job at the video game store before starting his new restaurant. He was working the cash register when a few kids came up to buy a game. They were giddy as they were so excited to purchase the game. It was a newly released version of a game that was extremely popular.

 

“It was the last one too!” One of the kids said. Seokjin had chuckled at their excitement. He had scanned the game to only see the faces of those boys sulk.

 

“Oh no, we don't have enough,” one said, staring at the screen showing the price.

 

“You probably mistook the 8 for a 0.” another spoke.

 

An older male had come up to the cash, asking if they had any other copies of the exact game those boys were so excited to purchase. Seokjin looked at the sadden faces of those boys and felt pity for them. He had put the video game underneath the counter and told the teen they had just sold their last copy. Hearing that brightened up the faces of those boys. One the teen left the store, Seokjin took out the game once again.

 

“If you come back in an hour with the right amount, it's all yours,” he said with a smile. The eyes of the boys began to sparkle and promised Seokjin they would come back.

 

“Thank you so much!” One boy said as they ran out to get the money. Seokjin laughed as they exited.

 

“Oh kids,” Seokjin said, shaking his head. Suddenly he felt someone jump onto him. He grunted as he felt the weight of the person pull him down slightly.

 

_“That was a very nice thing you did hyung!”_

 

Seokjin chuckled as soon as the weight came off his shoulder. He continued to work for the next hour or so and of course those boys came back with the right amount of money. He watched them leave with smiles on their faces which made him happy.

 

Seokjin still missed Taehyung dearly. He had so many things to tell him and he's just been keeping it in for so long. But when the time was right, it was already too late. He had loved Taehyung. He loved him so much. Yoongi knew and he would often tease him about it. Yoongi had even hinted at Taehyung several times but Taehyung was extremely oblivious. Seokjin didn't want Taehyung to know at first. He kept denying it whenever Yoongi tried to bring it up in conversation. But now it was too late for him to tell Taehyung how much he really loved him.

 

The hour flew by and it was finally time for Seokjin to return home. He had turned on the stove to make some instant noodles for him and his father. His mother had unfortunately passed away several years before so now it was just the two of them living in the house. He opened up the packet of flavouring for two servings of noodles for him and his father.

 

_“Hyung! I want one! Can you make me one?”_

 

He had put the kettle onto the stove and waited for the water to go up to a boil. Within minutes, whistling came from the kettle and he had taken it off the stove carefully, making sure that he wasn’t touching the metal and that the contents didn’t spill on him. He poured the hot water into the instant noodle bowls and covered them to make sure they soften the noodles. Seokjin had heard the door open and it was his father.

 

“How was your last day at work son?” he asked from the doorway. Seokjin told him it was fine and that he had dinner ready. His father smelled the noodles and let out a ‘hm’ as he was delighted by the scent the noodles gave off. Seokjin had set up the bowls and two cups of water for him and his father.

 

_“That smells so good!”_

 

Seokjin had sat down and began to while he waited for his father. Soon enough, his father sat down at the table and began to eat as well.

 

“Are you excited for your new restaurant?” He asked and Seokjin nodded. He was more than excited, he was ecstatic. His dreams were finally turning into a reality and he was beyond impressed with himself and the circumstances he was in. Ever since he was a child, this was his dream and to fulfill it was amazing in his eyes.

 

“I have a little present for you,” his father said, which made Seokjin question what he had for him. His father took out an envelope and handed it to Seokjin. He had slid it across the table and it just barely reached Seokjin’s bowl. Seokjin picked it up and opened the envelope and it contained nearly 700,000 won and Seokjin’s eyes were as wide as ever.

 

“I may not be a lot but it’s to help with your restaurant,” his father said with a smile on his face. Seokjin was beyond overjoyed and he looked up at his father almost tearing up.

 

“Thank you so much. I can’t believe you did this,” Seokjin said looking at the amount of cash that was in his hands. It was surreal to him, as if he was dreaming. Suddenly he felt weight on his shoulders once again.

 

_“Hyung I want some of those noodles!”_

 

‘Not again,’ Seokjin thought. He felt him constantly moving on his shoulders trying to reach for the noodles but to his avail, it was no use.

 

“Please stop,” Seokjin muttered under his breath. He had continued to move, making Seokjin very uncomfortable and his father looked at him weirdly.

 

“You okay?” He had asked as he ate more of the noodles. Seokjin had given him an awkward laugh and assured that everything was alright. He quickly finished it as he finally got off Seokjin’s back. He had quickly gone to the kitchen to clean all the utensils he used.

 

_“Hyung I wanted some…”_

 

“Taehyung please stop. You know you can’t, I didn’t make enough,” Seokjin said. Taehyung was there but not completely there. Though his body may have been gone, his spirit was still there.

 

Still with Seokjin.

 

Seokjin could feel and hear him but nobody else could. Seokjin didn’t know how this happened but it did. It started about three months ago when one day during work someone had jumped on him while he was stocking up some things in the back room. He had told Namjoon about it and it made him think even more about the whole situation. He was so into it that some could say he had an obsession over this mere fact. Seokjin let him go on his merry way and allowed him to venture off in whatever he thinks is the reason that he could see and feel Taehyung while everyone else couldn’t. Seokjin had gone to his room when he saw a message on his phone. It was from Namjoon.

 

_Come to the shack I have something for you._

 

Seokjin had told his father that he was off to visit Namjoon and he nodded as Seokjin left the house.

 

_“Are we going on an adventure?”_

 

He chuckled as he headed to the convenience store to get some snacks. He guessed that Namjoon probably told the others to come so he decided to buy more just in case. He had bought two large bottles of pop and an assortment of snacks that he knew they all liked.

 

_“They all look so tasty!”_

  
He had then gotten back into his car and began to drove to the shack. On the way, he had wondered what Namjoon had thought of this time. At this point, it could be anything but Seokjin was still very curious as to his hypothesis on the who Taehyung situation. Maybe there was something logical about this. He drove through the highway and watched as the skies above him changed from colours of lavender and rose to azure and midnight blue. What awaits Seokjin this time around?


	4. Photographs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time passes but memories live on forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: Fluff  
> Word Count: 2623  
> A/N: This is set in the distant future, where Namjoon has already told Seokjin what he's been waiting to tell him. The italicized text are flashbacks from Taehyung.

The stars had scattered the sky, illuminating the darkness along with the never ending amount of street lights that stood high. Seokjin had been running; running from his house as he held Taehyung on his back tightly. He felt the wind hitting his face, the cool air going between the small gaps between his teeth. 

 

He was running as fast as he could.

 

To where? To where he knew it was the safest to go to. He continued to run although he was getting extremely tired from it while carrying Taehyung. But he refused to stop even if it was taking a large toll on him. He had ran through the sideroads, the train crossings, and through the eerily empty streets of Seoul. Taehyung was not like how he normally is; full of energy. He seemed almost lifeless while he was being carried by Seokjin, as if his energy was being drained. He rested his head on Seokjin’s shoulder even though it would mean that his head would constantly bob up and down. He liked the presence of Seokjin very much which helped him to be more lively. Like a child, he looked to Seokjin for guidance and reassurance at all given moments; before and after his tragic accident. He admired Seokjin so much. Seokjin was the one that had invited him into their circle of friends in the first place and Taehyung has been ever so grateful because of it. 

 

_ It was Taehyung’s first day of school in Seoul and he knew absolutely nobody. He had just recently moved there from Daegu not that long ago and was going to a new school. He was lost like a puppy losing its owner. He walked aimlessly through the streets of Seoul just to find where his school was. He knew that it was near where he had lived but it was still a struggle for him to find out exactly where the school was. He had spent several days trying to look for the fast route from his house to the school but regardless, they were still confusing to remember. He did not have any other choice but to walk since his parents would leave early for work. He was very much alone in this case. He had gotten up extra early so that he could make that risky commute. He had put on his uniform that his mother laid out for him on the foot of the bed, took the tie and looking at the mirror behind his door looked at it meticulously, making sure he didn’t make any mistakes. He took one final look in the mirror and fixed up any flyaways in his hair before taking a deep breath and smiling at himself in the mirror.  _

 

_ “Today is the start of a new day,” he said to himself as he left the house. He grabbed his backpack and his small breakfast while exiting the door and was off on his new adventure. Luckily for him, he had finally figured out the fastest way to get to the school and patted himself on the back at this exciting feat. He made the signature rectangle smile of his as he entered the building. It was a very exciting moment for him and he could not wait to experience what Seoul has in store for him. Most of the day went perfectly fine, he had gotten to know some of the students in many of his classes and the positive aura he gave off really helped him to blend well within the student body. His next class was vocals class and there were about ten people in the class including him. They all seemed to have cliques already made which made things slightly uncomfortable for Taehyung. Normally there was about twenty students there and they all seemed to have gotten along with each other, not being isolated into mini groups like this class. As he entered, he could feel eyes watching him making him slightly uncomfortable. He quickly took a seat in the front row, avoiding all eye contact. He kept to himself for the entirety of the class and only spoke when spoken to by the teacher. Some of the other students in the class quickly noticed that. _

 

_ One of which was Seokjin. _

 

_ He saw how the new kid felt really uncomfortable with this situation. He tapped on Jeongguk’s shoulder as he was the closest person to him.  _

 

_ “He seems lonely,” Seokjin stated as he pointed towards Taehyung. Jeongguk had agreed with him but didn’t make much of an effort to do anything about it. Seokjin sighed and looked at the lilac haired boy sitting in front of him. He tapped his shoulder, getting Taehyung’s attention. Taehyung had taken out his headphones from his ears and turned around to face Seokjin.  _

 

_ “Hey are you new here, right?” Seokjin asked and Taehyung replied with a hesitant nod. Seokjin nodded in response to Taehyung’s nod and gave him a small smile. He had also introduced Taehyung to Jeongguk and Jimin and Taehyung became less anxious about this class. It was an extremely different experience for him to only be in a class this small. One of his fears was that he might be isolated from the other students, but he was glad that Seokjin had the guts to come up and help him conquer that irrational fear. He had lunch with the three and even became friends with three other people; Jung Hoseok, Kim Namjoon, and Min Yoongi. They all welcomed him with open arms and Taehyung felt so much more relaxed. He kept close to Seokjin as he felt the most comfortable around him, like a little puppy clinging on to their owner. Seokjin thought it was cute how Taehyung was always close to him and found it rather charming as well. He felt like an older brother to him because of it.  _

 

‘I know this running,’ Taehyung thought to himself. He could feel Seokjin’s heart racing as he had his hand on his chest. He could feel his lungs expanding and compressing as he ran. He remembered this kind of running Seokjin had done before. He remembers.

 

_ “Taehyung!” Seokjin called out, catching Taehyung’s attention. Taehyung was sitting in one of the benches in the courtyard of the school, casually doing some homework. Seokjin’s muffled call from the other side of the window had made Taehyung wondered what they were up to. He quickly shoved his books and notes in his bag and made his way to the door where Seokjin and Yoongi were there waiting for him. The three of them were walking down the hallway but Taehyung had no clue where they were off to. Neither one would tell him exactly where they were taking him but he wasn’t phased by it. They continued to walk down the hallways until they reached where the student parking lot was accessible to.  _

 

_ “Hyung why are we going there?” Taehyung asked pointing towards the doors. Seokjin gave a small smirk before reaching into his pocket. He took out some car keys which jingled in his hands. It was midday and they were about to go out somewhere.  _

 

_ “Aren’t we going to be late for class?” Taehyung said and Yoongi gave a little chuckle.  _

 

_ “Look kid, you can afford to miss one period of class. Don’t worry about it,” Yoongi said, wrapping his arm around Taehyung’s shoulders. Or at least attempting to. Taehyung nodded and thought rationally. Lately in that class, not much has happened so he knew he wouldn’t be missing that much. It was his first time doing something like this; skipping class. There was this mixed emotion of guilt but also an adrenaline rush that flowed through his body. He was excited yet nervous at the same time. It was as if there were butterflies in his stomach like if he had a crush on someone. Outside waiting for them was the rest of the gang. They all walked to Seokjin’s 4x4 and the younger ones sat in the back in the trunk while the other four were in the comfort of actual padded seats. There were a couple blankets scattered around in the trunk so Jimin and Jeongguk had folded so that they could sit on them. Seokjin had started the car and they were off. Taehyung had no idea where they were off to but it looked like they were going somewhere they have always gone to before. Taehyung was curious as to where they were headed off to, instilling this anxious feeling inside him. He loved the feeling of the air gently brushing on his face, cooling him down ever so slightly. He watched as the buildings that he was normally used to seeing getting smaller and smaller as they drove further away from the city to the outskirts. He watched as the mechanical like atmosphere fade away to a more natural like atmosphere. The transition between city and country went by his eyes in a flash and soon enough they were headed down a winding road that seemed to be going to nowhere. They passed through a tunnel where it was slightly illuminated by the sunlight coming from either end of the tunnel. As they exited the tunnel, the light had slightly blinded Taehyung for a second as he had to adjust his eyes to the new lighting and once he did Seokjin had began to make a sharp turn into the field of tall grass. He held out his hand to feel the tall grass brush his palm which felt calming to him. He never realized how much he’d been missing with always being stuck in Seoul. He had never gone out of Seoul since he had moved a mere two months ago. He was engulfed by the city like atmosphere so much he had forgotten what it felt like to be in the country-side. This was an old feeling but a feeling he hasn’t felt in so long which is what made things seem better.  _

 

_ “We’re almost there,” Seokjin called out so that the ones in the back could hear. Taehyung was excited to see where they were off to; Jeongguk and Jimin knew since it was clearly evident in his facial expression.  _

 

_ “I think you’ll like it here,” Jimin said giving him a large smile. Jeongguk agreed, giving him a smile as well. Taehyung nodded and imagined what was in store for him. Soon enough, they had stopped by a small shack in the middle of the field. It was small and quaint, but also charming. Seokjin had parked the car off to the side and they all got out of the car. Taehyung had his mouth open in awe at what he was seeing. Jimin had pointed it out and Taehyung quickly closed his mouth, slightly embarrassed.  _

 

_ “So here it is, our secret base if you will,” Hoseok said with a smile. They explained how they used to come here all the time when they were in primary school and the many adventures they had together. Taehyung was the last addition to their group and he was honoured to be a part of it. Besides their parents, they were the only ones that have ever seen this place which made it even more special. Seokjin had another surprise up his sleeve and he told everyone to get back in the car.  _

 

‘Hyung,’ Taehyung thought. Seokjin had finally gotten to the shack where the rest of them were waiting for him. Out of breath, Seokjin had his head facing the ground and crouching to try and regulate his breathing. 

 

“Hyung why are you out of breath?” Jimin asked as they all stood up from their seats. Seokjin continued to breath heavily and Taehyung had gotten off his shoulders. Seokjin quickly shot his head up and his eyes were as wide as a deer in front of headlights. 

 

“Taehyung?!” Seokjin called out, freaking out. His eyes were that of a maniacs, as he didn’t know where Taehyung was anymore. He couldn’t feel him on his back anymore which worried him. 

 

“Taehyung?!” he called out once again. He looked all across the room but he still could not find Taehyung anywhere. Taehyung was slightly confused by how Seokjin was reacting, tilting his head to the side. 

 

_ Seokjin drove through the field and into a forest with a slightly paved path with tire markings. Taehyung was curious as to where they were headed off to next. Jimin and Jeongguk were fond of Taehyung’s curiosity and how quirky he was. Yoongi had taken a lighter out of his pocket and looked at it meticulously.  _

 

_ “Why do you have that?” Namjoon asked in fear that Yoongi might do something stupid with it.  _

 

_ “Namjoon relax, I just found it in my dad’s car the other day. It’s empty,” Yoongi said. He fiddled with the lighter as if he was about to make it spark. It felt relaxing to him in a way. Namjoon had taken out another lollipop from his bag and Hoseok gave him a look.  _

 

_ “That’s your fifth one today,” Hoseok said, but Namjoon just simply shrugged. Namjoon was fond of the way it felt in his mouth. There was something about it that grounded him, but there was no explanation as to why he felt that way. Seokjin chuckled at their bickering as he continued to drive to their next destination. Soon they neared the exit and Taehyung saw in his peripheral vision sand flying in the air from the tires. He was shocked by the beach that they had come to. He never knew that there was a beach so close by. He was even more energized now that he was shown this new place. Jimin and Jeongguk laughed at Taehyung’s reaction and was infected by his contagious smile. Taehyung hollered as Seokjin drove through the sand. He watched as the waves rolled into the shore and how blue the water was. It was just beautiful.  _

 

_ “This is not the end you know,” Jimin said. Taehyung’s eyes beamed with excitement as Jeongguk gave a thumbs up to Seokjin. Seokjin nodded at that and he continued to drive to their next and final destination. Seokjin continued to drive across the beach until they ended up on an abandoned construction site by the bay. Seokjin had parked the car in the middle of the site and they all got off. Taehyung looked at the scenery that was displayed in front of him and wanted to take every moment of it and cherish it. It was so beautiful to him.  _

 

_ “Taehyung!” Seokjin called out and Taehyung looked behind him to see Seokjin waving around a polaroid camera. Taehyung smiled and ran towards them and Seokjin told them to gather around in a group so that they could take a picture together. They all smiled their biggest smiles as Seokjin had pressed the button, taking the picture. It was their first picture together as a group.  _

 

‘Hyung I’m right here!’ 

 

“Taehyung?!” Seokjin screamed out once again but this time he had quickly ran out of the shack. The others were confused with what to do but they continued to hear Seokjin call out Taehyung’s name. 

 

“What do we do?” Yoongi said. Namjoon was the first to run out and, along with Seokjin, call out Taehyung’s name. 

 

“It’s just like hide and seek,” Jeongguk said and scurried out of the shack following Namjoon and Seokjin. The others quickly followed them and they all left the shack; except for Taehyung. Taehyung looked around and saw the table where a notebook and pen laid. He walked over to it and also saw something else on the table. 

  
The picture they first took that day. 


	5. Hide and Seek

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you begin to reminisce in the memories, people's true colours really do show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2828  
> Genre: Fluff/Angst(?)  
> A/N: All the italicized text are flashbacks

“What the hell is Jeongguk talking about? ‘It’s like hide and seek’?” Jimin said slightly confused as they ran out of the shack. Seokjin began to scream Taehyung’s name multiple times and Jeongguk followed. Namjoon thought about what Jeongguk had said earlier about it being like hide and seek. He too was confused but then he had some sort of epiphany. 

 

“When we were in school, what was our favourite game to play?” Namjoon said quickly and it immediately got Jimin, Yoongi, and Hoseok thinking. They used to play hide and seek all the time, thanks to Taehyung. 

 

_ “Rock, paper, scissors!” The seven of them yelled at once. They were back at the shack for another round of hide and seek; Taehyung’s favourite game to play. The older ones thought it was a bit childish to be playing hide and seek but the younger ones loved playing it a lot. So naturally, they gave in but soon enough they began to enjoying playing as well.  _

 

_ “Ha! Jeongguk is the seeker!” Taehyung cheerfully said as Jeongguk groaned at the fact he had to find them all. Taehyung was the best at playing this game and almost never lost. Seokjin and Yoongi were one of the worst players as they were usually the first one to always get caught. Then again, Yoongi did not care much for hide and seek, but did it to make Taehyung happy. They all immediately hid into various hiding spots in and around the shack as Jeongguk began to count from sixty. Taehyung had hid on the second floor of the shack where it was only accessible through a ladder in the middle of the shack. The second floor was only half the size of the first, only holding some boxes full of little knick knacks and some snacks they hid there. Taehyung knew that this place would be the last place that Jeongguk would check as he normally checked around the shack first. Taehyung saw that Seokjin was in the shack looking for a place to hide and soon enough he heard Jeongguk finally count down to one and Seokjin still didn’t have a place to hide.  _

 

_ “Hyung!” Taehyung had whispered just loud enough for Seokjin to hear. He gestured him to come up and without hesitation he climbed up the ladder just in time. Seokjin crawled to where Taehyung hid and he sat next to him with his legs close to his chest. Taehyung covered his mouth with one finger, indicating Seokjin to keep the noise level to a minimum.  _

 

_ “Found you!” Jeongguk yelled as they heard Jimin groan, being the first to get caught. Taehyung couldn’t help but snicker at Jimin’s bad luck and that made Seokjin smile. Seokjin didn’t know why, but he always had an affinity for taking care of Taehyung more than the others. Even more than Jeongguk who is younger than Taehyung. There was just something about him that made him feel something more than just friendship. But he knew that there was no way he could actually be in love with him. Or is it possible he could be? Seokjin wanted to know but at the same he did not want to know. It was just so complicated for him to figure this all out. There were many sleepless nights where he would just think about it. Staring at the ceiling in hopes of finding some sort of answer to his dilemma. The only one he could really talk to about this entire situation was Yoongi and even then, it didn’t help as much. Yoongi constantly teased him for potentially liking Taehyung and would sometimes almost cross the line to where he revealed that Seokjin had feelings for Taehyung from time to time. Seokjin had managed to keep it a secret for months, but how long will it be until it slips out? Seokjin didn’t want to believe it but it was too hard for him not to. There was just something that made him gravitate towards Taehyung. Maybe it was his bubbly personality, or his extremely positive outlook on life that made him like him more. Or maybe the fact he was the new kid and that he felt the need to take care of him more. Regardless, all these things made Seokjin see Taehyung differently and in a good way. He never thought he would ever be this conflicted over one person but it looks like Taehyung was that person that made him think the impossible.  _

 

_ “Hyung?” Taehyung whispered and it snapped Seokjin out of his thought. _

 

_ “Your cheeks are red,” Taehyung noted and Seokjin immediately put his hands to his cheeks. They were definitely warmer and so were his ears. He rubbed his cheeks to flush away the redness from his cheeks as he smiled at Taehyung a little uncomfortably. Taehyung was oblivious to the entire situation so he returned the smile, making Seokjin slight relieved. Soon enough Jeongguk had found everyone else, except for Taehyung and Seokjin. _

 

_ “Where could they be?” Jeongguk said, the two could hear him from the door opening of the shack. They heard footsteps coming into the shack and Seokjin took a look to see who it was; it was Yoongi. Yoongi had leaned on the wall facing where Seokjin and Taehyung were hiding and he looked up to see the two still hiding. Yoongi had winked at them, indicating that he would stall Jeongguk just a little longer.  _

 

_ “Jeon have you looked in the bushes maybe the two ran off there to mess with you,” Yoongi said and Jeongguk replied with a loud groan. _

 

_ “If they did I’ll kill them,” he said sarcastically as he ran off into the bushes away from the shack. Now that was their chance of getting back to where Jeongguk first started counting to win the game. They quickly climbed down from the ladder and Seokjin had given Yoongi a bro fist for helping them. They had just made it to the place where Jeongguk was counting when Jeongguk returned from the bushes and they had won. Jeongguk sighed in defeat as the two high-fived one another.  _

 

“Taehyung!” the others began to yell out his name alongside Jeongguk and Seokjin. Seokjin was already tearing up from not knowing where Taehyung was anymore. He never thought that he would miss someone this much. He was so used to Taehyung being near him that when he wasn’t, it felt like a part of him had suddenly disappeared. It was the same with Jeongguk. Although he couldn’t see or feel Taehyung, just these stories that Seokjin told them about being able to see and feel him made him feel whole again. Jeongguk hated the fact that Taehyung chose Seokjin over him as well. ‘Why him?’ Jeongguk thought. Why was Seokjin the one who was able to see Taehyung and not him? Was he not special enough? Was has Seokjin done that Jeongguk hadn’t? This made Jeongguk felt weaker in a way. To see that someone he once loved and still loves to choose someone else over him. Did he not make it clear enough that he loved Taehyung? He may never know but the way that Seokjin constantly talked about Taehyung didn’t make things any better. There were so many nights where Jeongguk just thought about the memories he had with Taehyung. So many memories with just him and Taehyung alone; he thought that they could be something more than just friends. 

 

_ “Hyung want to get some coffee after school?” Jeongguk asked and Taehyung shrugged.  _

_  
_ _ “Why not? There’s one on the way to my house,” Taehyung said and Jeongguk smiled. He had always wanted to spend some time with Taehyung alone. He always hangs with Taehyung with the others but he never has once spent alone time with him. Jeongguk was not one to initiate something like this so it was nerve racking to him but he was glad he did so.   _

 

_ The day flew by for Jeongguk and he had met Taehyung at the front of the school. He and Taehyung began to walk to the nearby coffee shop.  _

 

_ “How are you liking it here?” Jeongguk asked, making light conversation. Taehyung shrugged as he adjusted his bag. Taehyung enjoyed being at the school. He had met so many new people and he never expected to be part of a clique this fast. It was a new experience for him; but a good one.  _

 

_ “I like it a lot. I never expected it to be like this,” he simply stated. Jeongguk nodded at his answer and smiled a bit. Jeongguk never knew how much he would like the new kid. Jeongguk wasn't one to develop feelings for someone so quickly. Hell, it took a good few months before finally he got close to one of the others. But Taehyung? It was almost instant. There was some sort of spark in Jeongguk. Something telling him to keep Taehyung close to him. It was something that he couldn't explain but he just went with it.  _

 

_ They finally made it to the coffee shop that was suggested by Taehyung and Jeongguk took a seat by the window. Taehyung had ordered two cappuccinos for the two of them and sat where Jeongguk was waiting. They reminisced in the events that happened that day like how Hoseok was scolded for being too loud once again. When their order was called Taehyung got up to get them and handed one cappuccino to Jeongguk. They continued to talk for as long as they could and it was something that Jeongguk loved. He loved seeing how passionate Taehyung would be when he talks about something he loves. How his eyes sparkled and how his smile would resemble that of a rectangle. It just warmed Jeongguk’s heart even more.  _

 

Taehyung stared down at the photo that laid on the table next to a notebook. How he remembered that day so well. It was one of those memories that was so engraved into his mind that he could never forget. If ever he tried to forget, it would be close to impossible for him to do so. It was so vivid to him and that's what made it much more special. Taehyung had wandered around the shack, unfamiliar with some of the new items laying around thanks to Namjoon. He looked at the shelves that were there before Namjoon had fixed up the place and there were some recognizable items mixed with new items from Namjoon. Taehyung looked through the albums and books that were stacked side by side. There was one album that was named “Taehyung” and it made Taehyung curious. He decided to take it out and placed it open on the table. Upon looking at it, it was full of pictures of everyone but mainly focusing on Taehyung. Taehyung was shocked by the amount of photos that were inside the album. He also remembered many of the places that these were taken in. One that stood out in particular was the time when they were underneath a bridge enjoying the sun rise. 

 

_ “Hyung come on!” Taehyung yelled as he ran down the stairs outside the apartments. He carried a bag with him containing spray paint. Namjoon ran far behind from Taehyung, almost breathless from just running a little too fast down the stairs. Namjoon had almost fallen down one flight of stairs not long before and was trying to be more careful while Taehyung recklessly ran down those stairs.  _

 

_ “Taehyung relax! They'll be there anyways,” Namjoon said taking a breath after every word. Taehyung slowed down so that Namjoon could catch up and they went down the last flight of stairs together. Taehyung saw a wall that was perfect for them to spray paint on.  _

 

_ “Are you sure this is legal?” Namjoon asked as Taehyung took out one can and began to shake it.  _

 

_ “Forget about legality, just let go,” Taehyung said enthusiastically as he handed him another can. Taehyung had begun to spray paint the walls with random strokes of paint, not resembling much. Namjoon looked at the can and then at the wall. He shrugged, shook the can, and began to spray paint along with Taehyung. Namjoon admitted it was much more fun to let loose even though this was vandalism.  _

 

_ “See? It's much more fun!” Taehyung beamed. Suddenly they heard police sirens ringing and the blue and red lights lit up the dark streets. Taehyung and Namjoon had quickly gathered up the spray paints and made a run for it. Luckily they lost them in an alleyway that led them straight to where they would meet the others. They had climbed over the fence that led them to the street where they would meet the others. Soon enough there were five other figures that were waiting at the end of the street. There was no doubt that it was the others. Taehyung and Namjoon ran towards them and greeted each one of them.  _

 

_ “Were you two getting into some trouble?” Jimin said, running his fingers through his bright orange hair. A smirk had appeared upon his face as those words had left his mouth.  _

 

_ “Oh not really,” Taehyung said, but mint haired Yoongi scoffed. _

 

_ “Bullshit we heard the sirens,” Yoongi said as he lightly tapped Taehyung and Namjoon’s heads. Taehyung had a grin upon his face after his little punishment.  _

 

_ “Anyways let’s go why are we just standing here?” Jeongguk said. They all hopped into the truck and made their way to another favourite place to see the sun rise. The air was pleasing to the face as it relaxes Taehyung, Jimin, and Jeongguk. On their way to the bridge, they made a little stop at a convenience store that was accessible through a small side road.  _

 

_ “Let's just get some drinks while we're at it. The store is open anyways,” Hoseok said and they parked the car and got out.  _

 

_ “Race you!” Taehyung said to Jimin as he made a break for it. Without hesitation, Jimin ran after Taehyung to try and get to the store before Taehyung. Seokjin laughed at their antics as the others walked to the store. In his hand, Seokjin was holding his camcorder once again. He got it out as they were walking towards the conscience store and as usual Hoseok wanted to be in front of the camera so he had gone a little bit ahead and started walking backwards and flailing his arms wildly. That made the others laugh and they finally got to the store.  _

 

_ “You had a head start!” Jimin whined as Taehyung celebrated his victory. Jimin poured whilst Taehyung continued to celebrate.  _

 

_ “It's okay Jimin maybe next time,” Taehyung said, with a hint of sarcasm. Jimin rolled his eyes playfully and they entered the store. They all got some sort of energy drink and Namjoon added a few lollipops to their little haul. Seokjin had paid for it and they were on their way back to the truck when suddenly Jimin had stopped. He just laid on the floor and the others were confused.  _

 

_ “Jimin get up what are doing?” Yoongi said, as he began to suck on a lollipop. Jimin just gave a small smirk and an almost inaudible laugh.  _

 

_ “Hey you punk get up,” Yoongi said as he hovered over Jimin. Jimin just continued to stay on the ground as Hoseok began to once again entertain the camera. While this was all happening, Jeongguk, Taehyung, and Namjoon had leaned back on the metallic walls that surrounded them. They watched as Hoseok was managing to make himself more embarrassing and Jimin pushing Yoongi’s buttons.  _

 

_ “Yah! Get up!” Yoongi said, grabbing the collar of Jimin's leather jacket. Finally after a few shakes Jimin got up.  _

 

_ “What was what for?” Jeongguk asked Jimin, nodding his head up as he said it. Jimin shrugged.  _

 

_ “Do I really need to explain?” He said in an indifferent tone. Jeongguk rolled his eyes as he took another sip of his drink. They were finally on their way back to the car and Hoseok continued to dance for the camera. They hopped back into the vehicle and made their way to the bridge. They got out of the car and it was just in time before the sun was about to rise. The colours in the sky danced beautifully together, creating a large masterpiece. It was too beautiful for Seokjin not to document it. He took out his Polaroid and snapped a picture just as the sun rose. You could see the silhouettes of the others as they were surrounded by the calming colours of blue and pastel pink. Seokjin then had taken another photo that had accidentally focused more on Taehyung. While the others were still silhouettes, Taehyung had moved a bit in a way where the camera picked him up the best.  _

 

“Seokjin hyung,” Taehyung whispered, as a small tear begun to roll down his cheek, 

  
“I never forgot about you either.”


	6. (Un)Believable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When everything seems unbelievable, sometimes you just have to believe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2611  
> Genre: Angst/Fluff  
> A/N: All the italicized text are flashbacks

_ “What is it that you wanted Namjoon?” Seokjin said as he entered the shack with two bags of snacks and pop. He placed them on the table as he felt another load get off his back. Taehyung had gotten off his back, allowing Seokjin to stretch out the ache in his back. Taehyung sat on one of the chairs that was underneath the table.  _

 

_ “I know why you can see Taehyung,” Namjoon said as he took out one of the smaller snacks and began to eat. Seokjin gave him a look of uncertainty, raising his eyebrows at his statement.  _

 

_ “Okay, well I have a hunch,” Namjoon’s mouth was somewhat full of small pieces of chips. While they chatted, Taehyung was becoming more and more impatient, getting more bored. He sighed and while the two were still chatting, he went outside to see the scenery.  _

 

_ “What is this so-called hunch?” Seokjin asked out of curiosity. Namjoon had opened up a can of pop and washed down the rest of the chips.  _

 

_ “Okay well I've been reading up on spirits and such,” Namjoon began.  _

 

_ “Of course,” Seokjin interjected but earned a hush from Namjoon as he felt his uncertain feeling. He went up to his bookshelf and took out one book that was fairly worn out, the pages were tearing at the seams. He placed it carefully on the table and opened up to the page he had bookmarked. He pointed to the paragraph he wanted Seokjin to read. Willingly, he read it and it talked about how some spirits, usually when they are younger don't leave if they have something that hasn't been fulfilled.  _

 

_ “So you're saying that Taehyung has some unfinished business to do?” Seokjin asked and Namjoon nodded. But this made Seokjin think; what does Taehyung have left to still do that he hasn't done? _

 

_ “It may be a bit of a stretch but that's the only plausible explanation I've found at this point,” Namjoon said. Namjoon had been looking at books on the supernatural ever since the day Seokjin went to him about Taehyung those many months ago.  _

 

_ “What do you suppose he hasn't done that's keeping him here?” Seokjin asked Namjoon and he shrugged.  _

 

_ “We will know when Taehyung figures it out,” he replied. Seokjin was weary about that answer. He always wanted to know the end goal to everything and since this was up to Taehyung, he has no idea how this will end up like.  _

 

_ ‘Hyung! I'm bored!’ Seokjin heard Taehyung say and he sighed, giving a slight smirk.  _

 

_ “I bet Taehyung is getting bored now right?” Namjoon chuckled and Seokjin nodded. As he was about to leave, he reached for his pant pocket. He had taken out a box of cigarettes.  _

 

_ “Have fun Namjoon,” he said with a smile. Namjoon thanked Seokjin as he began to leave the shack. Taehyung was out and about watching the little bunnies hop around in the grass.  _

 

_ “Taehyung everything is done we can go,” Seokjin said. In the beginning, he felt embarrassed doing this as it looked like he was talking to air; which he technically is still. Taehyung had gotten up and followed Seokjin.  _

 

_ ‘You guys are boring when you talk all that stuff.’ _

 

_ Seokjin sighed and a slight grin forming. When the myths say ghosts go back to a time where they were the most happy, they weren't kidding. Taehyung was such a happy child growing up and it was no wonder why he has the attention span of a five year old in his ghost form. It can get annoying at times but Seokjin eventually got used to it. He knows Taehyung has a habit of wandering off but he never went too far.  _

 

_ “I'm going to also tell the others okay?” Namjoon yelled as Seokjin was walking away from the shack and towards his truck. Seokjin had raised up his arm, giving Namjoon and thumbs up telling him it was okay to do so. They haven’t been together in so long, all six of them. Knowing the others, Seokjin knew that Yoongi may not be able to come because of how busy he is. Then the other three are still in university and who knows if they're able to come as well. Seokjin prayed that they would all be able to come, even if it's a slim chance they would. He came into the car and just sat down. He thought about how it would be like, having all six of them back where they all started. _

 

_ Where it all began.  _

 

_ Also where it all ended. _

 

_ The last time he saw any of them, besides Namjoon. was when he told them about his new restaurant. He had met up with Hoseok, Jimin, and Jeongguk at the noodle place that they had always gone to as high school students. Although they had a good talk with each other, it was evident that their relationship wasn't as strong as it was. Well the relationship Seokjin had with the other three was not as strong. Seokjin felt a little left out of the conversation at times. Since they still all went to the same university they saw each other much more often.  _

 

_ When he had told Yoongi, it was very brief. It was maybe a five minute conversation about it until he was called to go back to the building for some business. Yoongi was obviously proud of what Seokjin had been doing as he was doing the same. They both pursued their dream and made it a reality. Passion has driven both of them to do the impossible and they have succeeded despite of what had happened. Seokjin did wish that they had more time to talk but it just wasn't so realistic.  _

 

“I can't believe that what I actually searched up was real,” Namjoon whispered to himself, watching the chaos of Seokjin and Jeongguk yelling unveil. He didn't think it would even be possible that those were the reasons why Seokjin had been seeing Taehyung while the other hadn't. He had little to back up on and he didn't even know if Seokjin was just pulling his leg or not. It was his instinct that had let this go through and he was proud of it. At the same time, he was in awe at how all those stories he had read up on were real. It only felt as if it was just last week when he and Seokjin had all of them sit down and told them what had been happening. 

 

_ “You sound nuts Namjoon,” Yoongi said over the phone. Yoongi had been working hard lately and it was also his last day before his vacation. He hadn't had a proper vacation in so long and he knew how to spend it. He wanted to go around Seoul just to relax and just be Min Yoongi as opposed to his alias, Agust D.  _

 

_ “You have to believe me hyung. I'm not lying, Seokjin hyung was just here,” Namjoon said and Yoongi gave a sigh. _

 

_ “You're positive?”  _

 

_ “Cross my heart and hope to die,” Namjoon said with confidence. Yoongi had thought about it for a moment. He thought that it had been a long time since all of them had been together. Even if he didn't believe Namjoon one bit, it was worth a shot.  _

 

_ “Okay I'll be there.”  _

 

_ “Perfect now I just have to call the others,” Namjoon said and Yoongi chuckled. He had missed Namjoon’s unexpected bursts of excitement.  _

 

_ It was just like old times.  _

 

* * *

 

_ “Really?” Jimin said over the phone and Namjoon was still trying to explain to Jimin the whole situation. Jimin was with Hoseok and Jeongguk so he had it on speaker. _

 

_ “That just doesn’t seem realistic though Nams,” Hoseok said and a loud sigh could be heard over the phone.  _

 

_ “Just trust me. Seokjin hyung wouldn’t lie about this kind of stuff. Albeit, he did tell me only after a few weeks but regardless, he wouldn’t lie.” _

 

_ The three of them looked at each other with uncertainty. They didn’t know if they should believe this elaborate story that he was telling. It was too farfetched to them to believe. With the talking of spirits and even mentioning that Seokjin could see, feel and hear Taehyung is too hard to believe. Jeongguk thought it was all an elaborate excuse for all of them to hang out again. He hadn’t seen Seokjin or Namjoon in such a long time. He didn’t even know the last time he saw Yoongi in the last year either. Jimin saw Seokjin every once in a while since his brother would often go to the video game store that Seokjin had worked at. He would often be with him just for company and the two would exchange glances and have small talk from time to time. Hoseok saw Namjoon every once in awhile as well, just to check up on him. He was the closest to Namjoon back in high school so he had an affinity to take care and check up on Namjoon more.  _

 

_ “Okay we’ll be there,” Hoseok said and the other two looked at him. Hoseok shrugged as they heard a little squeal of excitement from Namjoon over the phone.  _

 

_ “This is great! Just like old times!” Namjoon said. They could just picture how big his smile was. How his eyes would disappear and his dimples, especially his left dimple, would concave into his cheeks. Jimin had chuckled at Namjoon’s response and they said their goodbyes over the phone.  _

 

_ “Do you really think this is all real?” Jimin asked and the two shook their heads. Hoseok wanted to believe Namjoon but he didn’t. It all seemed so random and so sudden that it’s too hard to believe, even for Hoseok. Jeongguk was curious but at the same time he knew that there was no fact behind Namjoon’s story. Spirits being real and ghosts appearing? Even his young heart can’t believe it. They just had to see for themselves what is happening.  _

 

* * *

 

_ ‘Today’s the day! Today’s the day!’ _

 

_ Seokjin got into the car, along with Taehyung in his usual seat which was in the back of the truck. Seokjin had closed up the store a little early for his lunch break so that he could get there a bit earlier. He had stopped by the convenience store once again to get some snacks and drinks for all of them. After making the quick stop, he had driven to the shack where Namjoon was waiting for him. Namjoon excitedly waved at Seokjin and Seokjin had returned the wave with a smile. Once parking the car and getting out, he waited for the others alongside Namjoon.  _

 

_ One by one, they all started coming. First was Yoongi and he had parked his car next to Seokjin’s. They had greeted each other, like old friends.  _

 

_ “It’s been a long time,” Yoongi said and Seokjin nodded.  _

 

_ “I can’t believe all of us are going to be here again. It’s been so long,” Seokjin said as he looked to see if either Hoseok, Jimin, and Jeongguk had arrived.  _

 

_ “We haven’t been here all together since that day,” Yoongi said and Seokjin nodded. It had been that long. Over a year since they were all together. Over a year since their loss.  _

_ ‘Yoongi hyung! Long time no see!’ _

 

_ Seokjin had chuckled at hearing Taehyung. Since they had both come from Daegu, it was no surprise that they instantly clicked and just hearing Taehyung calling Yoongi’s name amused Seokjin.  _

 

_ “Taehyung misses you. You know?” Seokjin told Yoongi. Yoongi was still uneasy with this and wasn’t sure if Seokjin was faking everything or just being delusional. Yoongi played along with it and gave a slight smile. Another car was come up and it was Hoseok in the front seat with Jimin and Jeongguk in the back. Hoseok parked the car and they all came out. They were finally together again and it felt so surreal to all of them. They all came in the shack and sat down in the table. Seokjin had placed the snacks and drinks on the table for everyone while Namjoon stayed standing.  _

 

_ “So you all know why you’re here,” Namjoon said and it was silent. He gave a small cough to fill the silence.  _

 

_ “Anyways, about Seokjin and Taehyung. Well, would you like to tell everyone what’s been happening?” Namjoon had looked at Seokjin to tell them the story in full detail.  _

 

_ ‘Everyone is here!’  _

 

_ “Speaking of Taehyung,” he said to himself as he heard the excitement in Taehyung’s voice. Taehyung had sat on the counter where the sink was, like a little boy waiting for someone to tell him a fairy tale story.  _

 

_ Seokjin had explained what was happening with Taehyung and at first none of them believed him. They all gave faces and it was evident that they weren’t as open-minded as Namjoon was. Seokjin had tried to explain it more to try and get them to believe this elaborate yet undoubtedly true story. However, to his avail, there was just no budging them from their initial thought. That was until Seokjin had an idea. He pointed to the bookcase and told Namjoon to get the book he had found containing what he was talking about. Namjoon quickly took it out and opened it to the page he had shown Seokjin no less than a week ago. They had all read what Namjoon had flagged and it did make it seem more believable. Jimin had started to give in and so did Hoseok. Jeongguk and Yoongi however, they still didn’t really believe what they were trying to tell them.  _

 

_ “That just seems really unrealistic you guys. I’m sorry,” Yoongi said and Jeongguk nodded.  _

 

_ “I can’t believe it. I just can’t,” Jeongguk added. Seokjin and Namjoon sighed in defeat but they were still determined to get them to believe what they were saying was true.  _

 

_ “How do you know he’s here?” Jimin questioned. Seokjin shrugged. It wasn’t often that he didn’t not see Taehyung everywhere he went. It was just something that didn’t phase him. _

_ “He’s always causing some sort of ruckus in a way,” Seokjin said and Jimin laughed. He remembered all the trouble that he and Taehyung caused back in high school. They were so close, like two peas in a pod. Jimin always tried to stay away from trouble but whenever he was with Taehyung, trouble had begun to stir and there was no getting out.  _

 

_ “That’s the Taehyung I know,” Jimin said, reminiscing in the memories. The others also remembered all the trouble Taehyung had caused with them. He was reckless, adventurous, and curious; a deadly combination.  _

 

_ “So only you can see him?” Jeongguk piped in. Seokjin nodded.  _

 

_ “I don’t know why. That’s what Namjoon and I are trying to figure out,” Seokjin replied and Jeongguk nodded. He couldn’t help but feel jealous towards Seokjin. He felt he was the closest to Taehyung and it didn’t seem fair to him that Taehyung somehow chose Seokjin over him.  _

 

_ “This is interesting,” Hoseok commented. He didn’t know what to think and he was confusing himself with trying to grasp this concept. He was unsure of what to believe or not. He was stuck in the middle. His heart told him this is all real but his brain says otherwise. It was the same with Jimin.  _

  
_ “Just believe me. Why would I lie?” Seokjin said and he did have a point. He was not one to lie and they all knew that. He was one of the worst to keep in anything. They all just remained sitting down silently. Would Yoongi and Jeongguk eventually believe them? _


	7. The Mark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Even something as small as a memory can be something vital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Genre: Angst  
> Word Count: 2238  
> A/N: All the italicized text are flashbacks

There was something that Taehyung knew what to do all the time. It was to leave his mark on others. Not in a physical sense, but there was always something that the others would have engraved in their minds forever. It was a memory, a moment. Something that Taehyung had done with them during their years of being friends that stayed with them. That was one thing that Taehyung knew how to do very well. It all started with Seokjin, the person in whom Taehyung had first talked to, all the way back to his first day at school. However, the memory that stayed with Seokjin wasn't that moment but something else. 

 

_ “Taehyung why did you drag me to the railroad at 5am?” Seokjin asked as he looked down at his phone to check the time. They had just finished exams and it was supposed to be the day that Seokjin would be able to sleep in. However, Taehyung had different plans for him. Seokjin had worn a rather large dark grey cardigan that ended mid-thigh. Underneath, he wore a dark army green shirt, pairing it with black skinny jeans and black doc martens. Taehyung on the other hand wore a red and blue plaid shirt, black skinny jeans, and burgundy doc martens. He also had a backpack that seemed to be pretty full. Taehyung had ignored his question and continued to walk along the railway tracks. He walked on them as if he was on a tightrope, having both arms as parallel to the ground as possible to keep his balance. Seokjin continue to follow Taehyung even if he had no clue as to where he was taking him. Taehyung saw an open trailer, went in and jumped to grab the top of the trailer. He had used all his strength to lift himself on top.  _

 

_ “No way Taehyung,” Seokjin said, refusing to climb up with him. Taehyung had pouted but it wasn't convincing Seokjin at all. Taehyung groaned and climbed back down and pulled Seokjin in his direction.  _

 

_ “Taehyung I swear to God-”  _

 

_ “Don't be such a wuss now get up,” Taehyung said as he lowered himself so he could lift Seokjin up from the inside of the crate. Seokjin rolled his eyes as he knew Taehyung wasn't going to take a “no” for an answer and climbed on top of his back. He grabbed the top of the crate and lifted himself up with the help of Taehyung. Then he had reached down to help Taehyung up onto the top of the crate. Taehyung first gave him the backpack and when Seokjin had placed the backpack on the crate, he gave him Taehyung’s hand. He held Seokjin’s hand with one hand and the side of the crate with the other, lifting himself up. Once on top, Taehyung gave him a big smile and Seokjin returned with a large, sarcastic grin. Taehyung had walked along the crate while Seokjin continued to follow. At the end of the line, Taehyung took a seat, letting his legs dangle off the edge. Seokjin sat beside him and looked up at the sky. Taehyung had taken out his father’s watch from his pocket. The leather was quite worn out and there seemed to be a small crack on the glass of the watch. Nevertheless, it still worked like a charm, reading out that it was 5:37am.  _

 

_ “Okay why are we here?” Seokjin asked once again and Taehyung looked at him for a moment. He placed the bag on his lap and opened up the largest pocket. There, he took out a small book that was tattered and looked like it had been through a lot. He handed it over to Seokjin and gave him a small smile.  _

 

_ “You have it,” he stated simply. Seokjin furrowed his brows at the odd but sweet gift. Seokjin had looked at the book. It was bounded by leather and the edges of the book were starting to peel off. When opened, the pages were an off white colour, almost a cream colour. On the front page had Taehyung’s signature where it said “this book belongs to _____”.  _

 

_ “It's something very sentimental to me hyung,” Taehyung said and looked at his feet.  _

 

_ “It was given to me by my grandfather before we moved here long ago. He told me that I should write or draw in it whenever I felt like it,” Taehyung explained. Seokjin flipped through the pages and looked at the many drawings that Taehyung drew over the years. At first they looked like chicken scratches but as he progressed, they got better and more detailed. Taehyung stopped at one page as Seokjin flipped through the pages.  _

 

_ “This one is one of my favourite drawings,” Taehyung said with a smile. It was a drawing of someone. Taehyung explained that it wasn't anyone in particular however it looked familiar to Seokjin. He just couldn't put his finger on it. Seokjin enjoyed Taehyung’s kind gesture of giving this to him and thanked him.  _

 

_ “Was this the only reason we're here?” Seokjin asked but Taehyung shook his head. He gave him a small smirk and took out a bottle of beer from his bag. Seokjin chucked at his offer.  _

 

_ “It's a once in a lifetime opportunity,” Taehyung sang, waving around the bottle.  _

 

_ “Knowing you it won't be,” Seokjin retorted but took the bottle anyway. He opened it up and Taehyung took out another one for himself. The two were just sitting on the side of the crate, enjoying a bottle of beer together and watching the sunrise to begin the day. It was unconventional, but it was something Seokjin would remember for a long time.  _

 

“Taehyung,” Seokjin whispered. He had stopped yelling his name and resorted to whispering it once. He looked on the ground and thought of Taehyung once again. He thought of the last time he was able to see and feel him. To be with him in real life and not with him as a spirit. To be able to hear him laugh with the others. He never knew how much he missed him until now. 

 

“Hyung?” Yoongi had whispered. He had gone up to him and saw the blank stare he had on his face. 

 

“Taehyung,” he heard Seokjin whispered again. His voice did not sound natural, but more robotic.

  
“Are you okay?” Yoongi was worried about Seokjin now. He didn't know what to do at all. 


	8. Why

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They soon begin to figure out what they need to help Taehyung, but Jeongguk is thinking twice about things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Word Count: 2634  
> Genre: Fluff  
> A/N: italicized text are flashbacks

Jimin’s eyes widened at his epiphany. He looked down at one of the rings he had on his hand. It was a small ring, made of stainless steel and engraved on it was his birthday. 

 

_ “Jimin-ah!” Taehyung had called out. Jimin was in one of the cubicles of the library studying away. Taehyung was hushed by other students but he dismissed it. He went up to Jimin and rested his chin on the edge of the raised walls of the cubicle. He stared down at Jimin who was content in the silence of the library.  _

 

_ “Jimin-ah,” Taehyung said with a hushed voice. Jimin looked up at him. _

 

_ “I'm trying to study Tae. Can we do this later?” Jimin asked as he was trying to focus. Taehyung rolled his eyes playfully at Jimin’s frustration with trigonometric functions.  _

 

_ “But it's your birthday in a few days,” Taehyung said. Jimin had been so busy with school work he had even forgot his own birthday.  _

 

_ “Oh yeah,” Jimin said slightly shocked at how he almost forgot. Jimin was a diligent student and would work for hours on end to get the best possible grade he could get for all his assignments. Those late hours always paid off but he would be so into it that sometimes he would be in his own world; he would be consciously out of the loop. Taehyung was always the person who would bring him out of that though. Jimin had often thanked Taehyung for doing that.  _

 

_ “Okay I won't then I won't bother you right now but when school is over go to your locker immediately,” Taehyung said without any further explanation and left the library. Jimin was slightly curious as to what he was up to. But then again, Taehyung was always up to something, there was no time during the day that Taehyung wasn't doing anything not suspicious.  _

 

* * *

 

_ It was now the end of the day and Jimin had gotten out of his last class, mathematics. It wasn't his best subject but he worked hard in it. Jimin ha wondered what Taehyung had in store for him. Maybe it was something on his locker he wondered. It must be something trivial, Taehyung was always known for doing things that required a lot of thinking. When Jimin arrived at his locker, there as nothing stuck to it. Jimin proceeded to open his locker and then a small folded not had fallen out. Jimin kneeled to pick it up and he opened up the paper.  _

 

_ ‘Seek the place where you can hear the sound of bells.’ _

 

_ It couldn't be the school’s office. He wouldn't be allowed to enter where they had the school bell ringing. His next thought was the music room. Multiple bells of different size, shape, and composition scaled the rather large walls of the room. Sort of like decoration that was interactive. He walked to the music room, and it filled with silence. He walks up to the wall, expecting something to be attached to it or to one of the bells. To his luck, he looked up to see another piece of paper taped to the smallest bell there. It was at the very top, almost touching the ceiling. He chuckled and rolled his eyes. Taehyung was obviously mocking his short stature. He got one of the chairs and stood atop. He just barely made it and stretched his arm as much as he could to reach the paper.  _

 

_ With some more strength, he was able to reach the parchment and got it down. He stepped off the chair, opening up the paper to read it.  _

 

_ ‘Roses are red, violets are blue, what's the last thing you'd least rather do?’  _

 

_ Getting slightly more poetic, Jimin thought. He took a moment to think, what was the last thing he'd rather do? His least favourite subject was history.  _

 

_ Must be the history staff room, he thought. It was just on the second floor right underneath him so he went to the nearest flight of stairs and went down a floor. The floor was riddled with history puns. On any visible piece of wall that wasn't a locker was almost filled with historical puns. The students who love history always had more up each day. He walked towards the history staff room expecting something to be there but to his surprise, there wasn't.  _

 

_ What do you have up your sleeve Taehyung?, Jimin had thought. He was being more cryptic about his clues now. The first was the easiest to discover but now he was getting better at being a little shit. Jimin thought a little more and looked back at the amounts of paper that were stuck on the wall. Jimin sighed and thought that that would be the next place Taehyung would put the clue. He thought itt would be next to impossible to figure out which one was Taehyung's note. However, Taehyung wasn't a dick and he made it easy for Jimin to figure out which one was his. His was the only single yellow post-it note that was stuck on the wall. Jimin took it off the wall and being careful not to take off any of the other pieces of paper that was beneath. _

 

_ 'Jeongguk had always loved this place.' _

 

_ That was the only thing written on the paper. It was the game store. Jeongguk would constantly pester Seokjin to go there because he was a game addict, to some extent. He came out of the school and had gotten on his bike, and biked to the game store. He had entered the place but had no idea where Taehyung would have the note on. He looked through the isles that Jeongguk looked in most often but it was not there at all. Taehyung was making it slightly harder for him. He was just hoping that this was one of the last notes that Taehyung had for him at this point. Jimin sighed when a worker had gone up to him, tapping on his shoulder. _

 

_ “Are you Jimin?” he asked and Jimin nodded in response. The worker had given him a small smile and told him to follow him to the front. The worker went behind the cash register and got something from underneath. It was the note. _

 

_ “Your friend is something,” he said. Jimin gave a embarrassed smile and thanked the worker. He exited the store and unfolded the next piece of paper. _

 

_ Jimin knew Taehyung was unconventional but he could just imagine how much he had bothered the worker to do that for him. He probably wouldn't shut up until he did so. He felt kind of bad for the worker but then again, it was Taehyung. He always knew how to get his way, even if it meant to do the extreme; he was someone that never gave up. _

 

_ 'Last note: look behind you.' _

 

_ Jimin had tilted his head to the side in confusion. Skeptically, he turned around and there was Taehyung, with a small cake in his hands. _

 

_ “Happy birthday Jimin!” He said, his smile had formed into a large rectangle. Jimin was so touched by Taehyung's little surprise. He had the biggest smile on his face. _

 

_ “Taehyung-ah I can't believe you actually went through all this just for my birthday,” Jimin said but before he could say anything else, Taehyung quickly got some of the whipped cream on the cake and smeared it on Jimin's cheek. _

 

_ “One last thing,” Taehyung said while laughing. Jimin had rolled his eyes at his friend's antics. They quickly found a place to sit and eat the cake. It was at a nearby coffee shop where they had tables outside. Taehyung placed the cake on the table and gotten out two plates and two forks just for the two of them. _

 

_ “I have one more thing for you,” Taehyung said while Jimin had taken a piece of the cake and began eating. Jimin wondered what else Taehyung had. This was already more than enough. He felt a little spoiled. Taehyung ravaged through his bag in search for the present. He opened up every pocket until he found it in the small front pocket of his bag. It was a small box. He placed it on the table in front of Jimin and asked him to open it. Jimin took the small velvety box and slowly opened up, revealing a ring. It was one of those rings that Jimin would always wear. It was stainless steel and it glistened like the sun rays bouncing off the surface of water. It was absolutely stunning. It also had “951013” engraved on it; Jimin's birthday. _

 

_ “Taehyung you shouldn't have. This must've costed a fortune,” Jimin said in awe of the gift. Taehyung said it was nothing but Jimin insisted that he should give something in return. _

 

_ “You're my friend, that's all that matters.” _

 

Jimin played around with the ring on his hands and looked at the engraving once again. To this day, he would never not wear it. It was something very sentimental to him and he couldn't even imagine what it would be like to lose it. That thought was inconceivable.

 

So that was three of the six.

 

The ring.

 

The USB.

 

The notebook.

 

They had half of the items that they needed to possibly help Taehyung move onto the next life. Namjoon had still thought hard at what could possibly be the item that Taehyung had given him that had sentimental value to it. Then something hit him.

 

Literally.

 

“Yah. Are you just going to stand there?” Hoseok said. Hoseok had thrown a small branch at Namjoon but then he realized what he had that Taehyung had given. He ran into the shack and took out one of the books he had in the bookcase. It was a book. A small book, but a good book. It was and since has been Namjoon's favourite book.

 

_ Taehyung knew how much of a bookworm Namjoon was. Any time he would talk to Namjoon, he would just end up with a handful of book recommendations. Which wasn't a bad thing at all. Taehyung loved how passionate Namjoon was with literature and philosophy. He always saw a sparkle in Namjoon's eyes when he would get really into a book and talk about how much he loved it. _

 

_ Namjoon had been having a little trouble with his parents for deciding not to go the career path his parents had wished. They had wanted him to finish school and become a doctor or something of that nature but he wanted to become an English teacher. He loved literature so much more than science, it was a bit unfair of his parents to disapprove of his wishes. Hours on end, he would hear his parents tell each other how disappointed they were in him for taking this route. He wasn't doing the same old routine that many students had done. It was unconventional in his parents point of view. They thought it would be much harder for him to become a teacher in that field especially. _

 

_ Namjoon was more quiet and soft-spoken at school lately and Taehyung quickly picked up on that. Normally, Namjoon was always very cheerful and lively but it seemed as if his parents constant bickering was draining the energy out of him. Taehyung wanted to do something for him and he had some sort of idea in the works. _

 

_ “Namjoon you can't just let your parents words get the best of you,” Hoseok said. He was also quick to pick up on Namjoon's strange change of aura. Namjoon sighed and rested his head on the desk. _

 

_ “I just don't know what to do,” Namjoon said. Hoseok did his best to try and comfort his stressed out friend. Hoseok had brought Namjoon out for lunch to try and ease the stress but all Namjoon would talk about is how much his parents were being completely unreasonable with some of their explanations as to why he shouldn't be an English teacher. _

 

_ 'You're IQ is one of the top and you choose to do that?' _

 

_ 'You scored in the two percentile in the national exam. You could do so much more than just being an English teacher.' _

 

_ “Okay you know what? You need to stop thinking about your parents opinions,” Hoseok said finally putting his foot down. They were all getting tired of how much his parents opinions had affected him so much. They just wanted him to be happy again. To be back to the same Namjoon they know, love and support unconditionally. _

 

_ They heard the bell of the store ring, signalling that someone had came in. They both looked back to see Taehyung. He waved at the two of them and Hoseok called him over to sit with them. _

 

_ “Nice to see you two,” he said as he took a seat beside Hoseok. He had a small plastic bag in his hands that contained something. Hoseok asked what was in the bag and Taehyung gave a small smile. _

 

_ “It’s for Namjoon hyung,” Taehyung said and Namjoon perked up his head. It wasn't his birthday any time soon so he was a bit confused as to why he would have something for him. Taehyung had passed over the bag to him across the table and Namjoon took it by the handle. He took out the contents of the bag and it contained a single book. _

 

_ “It's a good book I heard,” Taehyung said. Namjoon had thanked Taehyung for his kind gesture and gave a small smile that allowed his dimples to protrude. Taehyung always loved it when Namjoon found a new book he loved and by seeing the huge smile on his face, he knew that he would love the book. Since Namjoon had also love philosophy, he thought he would use the book as some sort of reference to something in his philosophical journey one way or another. It was a small book with the picture of a little boy on the front. The book was called 'Demian'. _

 

He had the book now in his hands. Since he has had it for quite some time, the edges of the paperback book were already white as it was pretty worn out. There were many post-it notes that stuck out of both the top and bottom of the book. Even the sides were filled with post-it notes. They had contained the many little side-notes Namjoon had created as he read the book over and over. It was something that Namjoon could read over and over and he would never get tired of the book.

 

“You know, Taehyung always reminded me of Sinclair.” Namjoon said looking at the book.

“Now we have four of the six,” Namjoon added, holding the book tightly in his hand. Yoongi and Seokjin still needed to get their items from their homes. Hoseok and Jeongguk still had no idea what Taehyung had given them that had sentimental value. 

 

“What if it’s not something physical?” Jeongguk asked but Namjoon looked at him. 

 

“Jeongguk, it explicitly said something physical,” Namjoon explained once again. 

 

“Are you really going to believe that stupid book?” His voice hinted a bit of anger and skepticism. 

 

“What’s wrong with you Jeongguk?” Seokjin asked but Jeongguk refused to answer back. They didn’t know what got into Jeongguk. They were a bit thrown off by his sudden emotional change. 

 

“Look, we can’t be fighting right now. Let’s just say that we all have these items except you Jeongguk. Taehyung still won’t be able to move on. Don’t you want that for him?” Jimin said but Jeongguk remained quite. He was being persistent in being a disbeliever. 

 

“Are you serious Jeongguk?” Seokjin raised his voice.

 

“Okay fine,” Jeongguk said bluntly. He crossed his arms and huffed.

 

“Why did he choose you?”

  
  



End file.
